Bookkeeping-file.



I 'PATENTED AUG. 4,1908, "30.3mm; BOOKKBEPINTG FILE.

l 1 I APPLICATION 211.311. 31.15, 190a.

) itmwbga which must be kept T0011 whom it my concerns:

Be it known that I, COURTLA'ND E. Lens, a citizen of i the United States, residing at Paris, in the county of Bourbon and State of Kentucky, have invented certain-new and useful Improvements in Bookkeeping-Files;

and I do hereby declare the following to .be a

full, clear, and exact descri tion of the invention, such as will enable qt ers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. 4

This invention relates to files to be used in connection with a system of keeping accounts or records of events as they transpire from day to day, such as merchants creditaccounts, thee inical records of hysicians, and bank-checks and notes, or ot er records from day to day. The objects of t e invention are to provide a file in the form of a book that can be easily. handled and placed in a safe for security in case of fire, and in which the leaves will open without rubbing and mutilatin the accounts in opening, and whi h shadl be compact, light and simple in construction, inexpensive in manufacture and eflicient and durable in' practical use.

The invention will first be hereinafter more particularly described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, whichare to be taken as apart of this specification, and,

then pointed out in the claims at the end of the description.

In said drawin s, Figure I represents a plan view of a boo -form fileembodying my invention, showing the book open in position for making entries or placing therein slips of paper, cards or other apers on which entries have been or'may e made; Fig. 2 is an end \iew of the open fileshown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a rear view showing the file closed;

I Fig. 4 is a pe'rs ective view of the tile having file, and whic a cover applie thereto, givin the appearance of an ordinary book; an Fig. 5 is an end view of the file with the leaves'thereof folded.

respondingrparts in diiferent views, the letters A, A, may denote a series of plates or sections formin the leaves of the book-form v are preferably made or stamped out of sheet metal, being rectangular in form and havin marginal ribs or anges a, a on opposite sides thereof, so as to Speciiication Lettersiatent. I Application mt; April 15, 1908. Serial m5. 421,221;

which inay placedslips o paper, cards "the; like, on which accounts ma be kept, or

Aug. 4, 1908.

"other papers on which entries iave been or may be made from day to day. Division plates or partitions B may also beprovided upon opposite sides of. each section or plate A, so as to divide each side or face thereof into three, more or less, divisionsyand in these divisions are placed a series ofispringclips or other securing means. .In theform shown an elastic wire or wires are bent'lso as to form a series of substantially U-shaped springs having coils at their ends which "are inserted inapertures in the division lates and'marginal flanges of the leaves of t e file, so as to provide a series of -U-shaped spring-\ clips C in each division, upon opposite sides ofthe leaf, for holding the paper slips, cards or other records. in proper positionand to prevent them from dropping out when the hle is open. 3 f As willbe observed, the leaves are of the same size and are placed one upon or beside another and connected together bv suitable hinges so as-to adapt the series 0' leaves to be readily opened and folded like the leaves of a book, the leaves being so positioned that the, marginal portions or ed es thereof lie in the same or substantially-t e same vertical or horizontal plane, whether the leaves are open, as illustrated in Figsl and 2, or

closed, as illustratedin Figs. 3, 4 and 5. In

the forin shown, the series of leaves or metallic sections are lvo'tallv connected together by strap-hinges nee-tin rod E while the butt en s of each air of hinges are secured to one of a series of eaves lying one upon or beside another as shown. "Short hi es are used ;to connect the two inner or rmddle leaves of the series closc' to the connecting rod E and longer hinges are used to connect the outer leayes successively, the length of the hin evarylng of difierent lengths, which may have eyes at one end fitted u. on a. conlie one upon another with their marginal ortlons or edges in the same vertical p ane 7 when the-file is open in position for use, as shown m Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. To counteract a tendency on the part of the leaves, especiallv the outer leaves, to crawl" form shallow box-like receptacles, within 1 or slide upon the adjacent leaves, I prefer-'- 1n proportion to the distance tiie leaf to v one customer. The same principle applies:

customer or a depositors balance can be sliding one upon another, with consequent ably make the hinges which connect the two l outer leaves of substantially L-shaped form, so that one limb thereofextends from the axisofthc hinge in a plane substantially arallel with the two innermost or middle eaves, while the other limb extends substantially at right angles to the entire group, thus '& forming an abutment for the rear edges of l the leaves which will prevent crawling or disfiguring or mutilation of the records contained within the tile:

In order to give the file the appearanceof abook,- a metallic cover F, in the form of an ordinary book-cover having back 1' andhinged sides f may be provided for inclosing thegroup of leaves constituting the filo, or the outer leaves may have plain outer sides and asuitable back like that of a book-cover secured thereto, if desired, thusgiving the general appearance of an ordinary book.

This file is designed to be used with a system of keeping accounts which may be briefly explained thus: The spaces for the accounts .are all numbered on the various leaves, the numbers corresponding to numbers in an index on the inside of the first or outer leaf, each customer having acertain number. As the accounts, etc. are filed the 3 record may be carried forward on each 2 account, thereby saving considerable time in looking over all the accounts pertaining to to the clinical records of physicians and bankers checks. The indebtedness of a seen at once bv opening the file to the number correspon ing to the name in the index, the amount having been carried forward ap earingon the top account. 1

i am aware that priorto my invention files of the same general character have been used, and hence I make no' broad claim to such contrivances, but the devices heretofore used are more or less complex andev-j pensive in manufacture and also ObjQCilOlP- able in use, because of the rubbing or crawling of the leaves one upon another in ope-rung and closing the book, with conse uenttearing or mutilation of the recon s secured, therein. I

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Lettors Tateniof the United States is:

t. A credit account file in book form comprising a series of leaf-like plates hinged upon a common connecting rod which extends parallel with are. midway of the entire series of plates when folded like abook, th hinges icing constructed in d fferent lengths with each pair thereof at each side of said rod of greater length than the nextprcc-eding pair in the series, said plates being adapted to be opened so as to lie in two groups arranged upon opposite sides of said connecting rod with then marginal, portions or edges in substantially the same plane, and means for holding slips of paper, cards or the like on the faces of said plates.

2. A. book-form file comprising a series of leaf-like. plates hinged together in book form and having the axes of their hinges arranged in a plane. parallel with and midway or the entire series when folded, said hinges being of difi'erent lengths and increasing in length successively at each side of said hinged connections from the innermost to the outer mostleaf of the book, whereby said plates are adapted to lie as an 0 en book in two groups on opposite sides 0 the hinged connections with the marginal nations of each group in the same vertical plane, and means for holding slips of )aper, cards or the like on the faces of said p ates.

3. A book form file comprising a series of leaf-like plates hinged together so as to ada t them to be folded like the leaves of a booli and when opened to lie in two groups arranged upon op osite sides of their hinged connections, the iinges' being of diil'erent lengths and those of the outer plates being constructed and adapted to serve as abutments for the intermediate plates to prevent crawling or sliding movement of the plates one uponanother.

4. A book-form file comprising a series of rigid leaves or plates hinged together so as to be folded like t 1e leaves of a book, and having means for holding slips of paper or the like on their faces, the two innermost leaves being connected by short hinges and the other leaves being connected successr'cly by hinges each pair of which is of greater iengtir than the next preceding pair in series, the hinges of the two outermost snze leaves being substantially L-shaped so as to provide abutments for the intermediate leaves and prevent crawling or sliding movement of the leaves with conse 'uent rubbing and mutilation of records thcr etwccn;

In testimony whereof I a tlix my signature, in presence of two witnesses;

H. Mcfihrrax, C. J. LANCASTER. 

